The Marauders
by MidnightTinnedPineapple
Summary: Dark practices relating to an unknown wizard are becoming more and more common, as strange happenings begin all over Hogwarts. The Marauders, armed with their infamous map and razor-sharp wit, begin investigating the dark forces that threaten their home. Hopefully going to publish more chapters, pls let me know what you think :)
1. Prologue

να έχουν πεθάνει μια φορά είναι αρκετή

'To have died once is enough' (Virgil)

* * *

The man was in his pyjamas, glasses askew and black hair a rumpled mess. As he saw the dark figure in the doorway he knew, with unfathomable certainty, that it was the end. He had misplaced his trust, and his family were about to pay the price. In blind terror, he fumbled for his wand but it was too far away, discarded on the floor where he had sat smiling with his family only seconds before.

The pale, hooded figure was still in the doorway. It seemed to take an eternity for the cloaked arm to slowly lift his wand. A chillingly recognisable wand; thirteen and a half inches, yew, at its core a single phoenix feather. A wand which had performed acts of unspeakable evil, and was now about to commit one more.

'Avada Kedavra!' A burst of green light. The man fell like a puppet whose strings had been cut. His youthful face was frozen in a look of steely determination. The hooded figure laughed as he stepped over the fallen body, hardly giving it a second glance. The man had thought he could stop _him_ , the greatest wizard of all time, without a wand. So the rumours of his stupidity were true.

A glint of red hair flew out of sight and up the stairs. The mother. A baby was clutched close to her chest, screaming and screaming as if he knew that something was hideously awry. The woman was panicked, desperate to save her son. Her love for him was unlike anything the hooded figure had ever encountered.

But it wouldn't be enough to save her.

The wizard strode carefully up the stairs. No rush. The woman was trapped. The carpet on the landing was stained, with baby food or vomit he couldn't tell. The screams of the dark-haired baby were beginning to grate on his nerves.

He pushed open the door to the child's room and saw the woman, standing protectively over the baby's cot. Her bright green eyes were open wide in terror, eyes duplicated almost perfectly in the baby behind her.

'Not Harry, please not Harry.' The woman begged, copper hair falling over her face as she put out a hand to keep the man away.

'Move aside', bellowed the hooded figure. The woman refused. He didn't want to kill her.

The moment was heavy with a majesty that the man had not expected. He knew in his heart, for at this time he still had a heart, that this moment would define him.

It was the end, but also the beginning.

With a flash of green light, the woman dropped dully to the ground. All that was left was the guttural cry still stuck in her throat as she reached out to her beloved son.

'Harry!'


	2. Chapter 1 New Beginnings

'James!'

The boy was in his newly-ironed robes, glasses askew and black hair in a carefully choreographed mess. His head whipped round to look at his mother, whose frizzy hair was in a similar state of disarray.

'Are you sure you've got everything?'

She looked flustered, having spent the most part of the morning attempting to organise her two messy boys. Now their trunks were packed, robes were on, and their small room in the Three Broomsticks was practically bare in the absence of the boys' clutter.

And yet Euphemia Potter couldn't help feeling like she'd forgotten something. As her son gave her a quick hug and headed for the door, she smiled sadly. James was her only biological son, born long after she'd already given up her dreams of children, and though James was now in his sixth year of school, the pain she felt when he left for Hogwarts never really got easier. She watched helplessly as James' new glasses (He'd finally convinced her to replace his battered round frames with some trendier aviators) fell down his nose slightly as he struggled to lift his trunk.

Fleamont Potter put his hand on Euphemia's shoulder while she let slip a single tear. He carefully brushed the teardrop from his wife's wrinkled cheek and gently kissed her nose. The inventor of Sleekeazy's hair potion, Fleamont was a sparkling advertisement for his own product; hair smoothed in a perfect arc over his forehead. His smooth brown head looked positively shiny in comparison to Euphemia's frizzy blonde mane.

The couple watched James leave quietly, and were brought down to earth by a frenzied Sirius Black as he rushed out of the bathroom. He grabbed his trunk and pulled up his drooping Hogwarts robes.

'I'd leave that for five minutes if I were you Fleamont', he said cheekily as he gave him an enormous hug. The big man chuckled as he clapped Sirius on the back jovially.

When he came face to face with Euphemia, Sirius' smile dropped as he struggled to hold back a torrent of emotion.

'Goodbye', he mumbled, eyes fixed on the floorboards beneath him. Euphemia smiled fondly and brought a soft hand under his chin, pulling his head to look at her.

'We're always here', she said gently. Her watery smile was genuine. Sirius smiled back.

'Thankyou'. The words were short but their meaning was clear. Ever since Sirius had collapsed into the Potter's living room that summer, crying and cursing his pureblood family, Euphemia had become the mother he had always wanted. James had been asleep when Sirius had flooed into their living room in the first week of the holiday, a skinny pale wreck weeping uncontrollably on the Potter's carpet. Euphemia would never forget the sight of the two boys that night, all elbows and knees, messy black heads resting on the same pillow. She had rehomed him without a blink, giving him meals and shelter, and more love than he had ever imagined possible. The boy was almost unrecognisable now. So that small thankyou, whispered so quietly it was almost inaudible, held so much meaning.

After a lingering hug, Sirius followed James down the stairs of the Three Broomsticks. The two boys started walking down the cobbled streets of Hogsmeade with their trunks in tow, followed by the waves and smiles of their parents.

* * *

Their procession came to an abrupt halt as James' trunk went over a bump and spilled its colourful contents over the floor.

'Oh you can't be serious', he moaned, bending to pick up his belongings.

'Don't be silly, of course I'm Sirius!'

Even with his eyes on his exploded trunk James could feel the cheeky grin on Sirius' face as he made the awful pun, for what had to be the millionth time since they'd met.

'Don't start that again', he groaned.

'You walked right into it James, I just couldn't help it'. James opened his mouth to retort but was stopped short by the sight of Lily Evans not ten yards away. She had stopped wheeling her trunk down the road and was smiling at the boys as they crouched over the spilled clothes and quills.

'Evans', James gasped, standing up with a jolt. One hand went immedietly to his messy hair, and the other half-lifted to wave. He was mortified to see that he still had a pair of boxers embroidered with small golden snitches balled up in his fist. He pulled his arm back in horror, but Lily had already seen and was giggling quietly.

'Well hello to you too', she laughed. Sirius looked up wryly from his spot on the floor and gave her a small wave.

'Alright Lily?' he asked as James' mouth opened and shut helplessly like a goldfish.

'Hey Sirius', she replied, 'had a bit of an accident?' She knelt down and started helping to shovel the socks and pieces of parchment back into the trunk messily. James went bright red in embarrassment as her hand brushed against the rest of his underwear, carefully folded into squares by Euphemia that morning.

'Why are you here then?' asked Sirius, calmly packing away an errant game of exploding snap with a wave of his wand.

'Mum and dad wanted to see Hogsmeade', Lily explained. 'They're very excited about all this magic stuff.' She smiled, remembering the wonder on her father's face as she'd taken him to Honeydukes, his eyes almost as wide as the fizzing whizbees.

James, suddenly regaining the power of speech, tried again to talk to her. 'I can't believe we didn't see you! We've been here all week, we could have hung out and stuff.'

He cringed. Too dorky.

'We only got here last night,' Lily smiled. Her and James' frosty relationship had thawed slightly over the summer and James got a rush every time she smiled at him. He'd worked hard over the last year to tone down his crush on her, and she appreciated this new James; big head deflated to a slightly more acceptable level. Although she knew his old bravado was only to cover up his feelings, she had found it infuriating.

The last of the contents safely put away, the three stood up and started walking together down the cobbled street, Lily's copper head bobbing between the boy's black ones.

Sirius and Lily chattered inanely all the way up to the castle, with James occasionally chipping in, desperate not to make a fool of himself. All three of them were excited to be back at Hogwarts, and their excitement only grew as they sighted the stone turrets of Hogwarts looming before them.

When they reached the bustle of students by the gates, Lily gave the boys a quick little wave and slid off to join her friends. James and Sirius stood awkwardly on their own for a moment, then lit up when they caught sight of a bedraggled Remus Lupin coming towards them, Peter Pettigrew almost treading on his robes as he tried to catch up.

'Moony!' yelled Sirius. 'Wormtail!' the four boys squished together in a close hug. Their trunks lay forgotten on the grass as they excitedly caught each other up on the gossip, all talking over each other in their rush to speak. As they made their way into the brightly lit great hall, James couldn't help but smile as he realised how amazing it was to finally be back.


	3. Chapter 2 The Sorting

The low level of chatter in the Great Hall between the reunited students faded away as Professor McGonogall strode across the cobbled floor, placing a battered stool at the head of the table. A fraying brown hat sat precariously on top. The small gaggle of first-years stood nearby, torn between their wonder at the enormous hall and their nervousness for the task ahead. A few looked almost green in the low candlelight.

The whole school waited with bated breath. Then the rip near the hat's brim opened wide like a mouth, and the sorting hat burst into song:

" _Years ago, in ages old_

 _When myths and tales were walking,_

 _The founders of these hallowed halls,_

 _Sat down and got to talking._

 _United by a common dream,_

 _To pass along their learning,_

 _Beneath their wishes and their hopes_

 _Their differences were churning._

' _I will admit' said Slytherin,_

' _Those of purest blood and breeding.'_

' _I'll take the ones' said Ravenclaw,_

' _Of knowledge and good reading.'_

 _Brayed Gryffindor 'the ones I pick_

 _Will be the bravest and the best.'_

 _Sweet Hufflepuff just smiled and said_

' _I'll welcome all the rest.'_

 _For many years the houses stood,_

 _My job to sort the students._

 _Find the bravest and the smartest,_

 _To choose with care and prudence._

 _Now centuries on in newer times,_

 _My job is still to christen,_

 _But students heed these heavy words,_

 _And to this lesson listen._

 _You are more than just your houses,_

 _For in you there is much more,_

 _Than just the single biggest trait_

 _That I find at your core._

 _For in each cunning Slytherin,_

 _There lies a heart of kindness,_

 _And even wise old Ravenclaws_

 _Are plagued by moral blindness._

 _Many cowards lie in Gryffindor,_

 _Amongst the daring and the brave,_

 _And even toiling Hufflepuffs,_

 _Have things they cannot save._

 _So although my role seems simple,_

 _To choose between these four,_

 _The differences seem smaller_

 _Than they ever were before._

 _For everyone has light and dark,_

 _So students wait and see._

 _These houses may divide you up,_

 _But you'll choose who you'll be. "_

The hat seemed to sit back on its haunches, basking in the deafening silence that had fallen over the great hall. After a beat had passed, a slow murmer broke out among the stunned audience.

'Blimey', said Sirius, one eyebrow raised, 'that was deep!' Remus, who was stroking his pointed chin, deep in thought, nodded in agreement.

'The hat has been known to issue warnings in time of strife', he said softly, almost to himself, as the rest of the hall refocused their attention on the tiny first-year approaching the stool.

'Well, I can't say I ever detected a heart of kindness in your mother Padfoot,' James sniggered, ignoring Remus' mutterings. Sirius turned from the sorting and flashed him a mischievous grin, more than happy to insult his pure-blood parents.

'Good old Walburga', continued James wistfully. 'Excellent eye for design, that one. Those mounted house elf heads on your stairs are just delightful.'

'Don't forget the troll's foot umbrella stand', Sirius added sarcastically, 'and those beautiful slytherin heirlooms.' He was still smiling, but his dark eyes darted inadvertently to the Slytherin table, where his younger brother sat stoically amongst his green-clad peers. Regulus was laughing, dark brown eyes illuminated by the candlelight, until he glanced up into the gaze of his brother and the smile slipped slightly. Sirius snapped his eyes immediately back to the sorting, but not before he felt the sheer wave of disdain emanating from the younger boy.

Focusing intently on the nervous girl being sorted into Hufflepuff, Sirius tried desperately to ease the lonely ache in his heart at this latest development in family relations. His brother hated him and he knew it.

But James, in more ways than one, was his brother now too. So as he felt the light nudge of James' trainer under the table, the heaviness dissipated slightly. A loud laugh sounded from a neighbouring table, shattering Sirius' reverie altogether, and he was soon back to laughing and joking with his friends, safe in the knowledge that he was not alone.


	4. Chapter 3 The Dark

After they'd stuffed themselves silly with the array of dishes at the feast, the students began to file out to their common rooms. James, Peter and Sirius watched them go by as they waited for Remus, who was in a deep conversation with Professor McGonogall.

'What was that about, Moony?' asked James as Remus rejoined the group, the corridors now emptied of chattering students

'Just the usual', Remus replied gloomily, 'wanted to check I wasn't going to kill any students during my time of the month.'

Sirius scoffed. 'Pretty sure McGonogall needs to check up on Marlene as well then, it's her time of the month now and I've never known PMT like it…' he said wonderingly, turning to grin at James as they ascended the staircase. They waited patiently while it swung to the left, then jogged to the top before it changed again.

'Last one to the portrait hole's a smelly gnome!' yelled James with a start as sprinted towards a painting of a dancing hippo at the bottom of the next staircase, almost sending a Ravenclaw prefect flying. Wormtail promptly ran after him, stopping only to give James the finger as he waited for some first-years to get out of his way.

'You alright mate?' asked Sirius, uncharacteristically soft as he and Remus hung back behind racing James and Peter. Remus looked Sirius squarely in the eye, wondering how on earth he had ended up with such good friends. Werewolves weren't meant for this. Remus had long ago resigned himself to a life of pain and loneliness. And yet here he was, in the company of three idiots who really cared about him. He smiled.

'Yeah, I'm good' he told Sirius, as they walked faster to catch up with the others as they tore off down the corridor.

'I won!' yelled James as he slumped, muscles aching, against the portrait hole. Peter wasn't far behind, and he ran straight into James, creating a muddle of limbs and pained groaning. Sirius and Remus drew up the rear, smiling indulgently at the boys wrestling on the floor.

'Do you have any idea what the password is?' Remus asked, as the thought suddenly occurred to him.

'Not a clue', grinned Sirius. He walked up to the fat lady, who was sat sipping a goblet of wine.

'Gloria', he purred, pouting dramatically. 'You're looking better than ever, have you lost weight?' the Fat lady giggled and blushed.

'I can't believe you noticed, you naughty boy', she said adoringly, winking at Sirius as he launched into full-on flirt mode. 'But before you ask,' she said, holding up a chubby hand, 'no password, no entry; even if you are gorgeous…' As Sirius tried to wheedle the fat lady into changing her mind, James' sweaty head popped out from under Peter's shoulder.

'We could always wait in the kitchens', he said mischievously.

'James you literally just ate a three-course dinner,' said Lupin, incredulous. 'How could you possibly still have room for more food?'

'There's always room for more food', squeaked Peter, his head squished under James' elbow. James realised he was still pinning Peter to the ground and untangled himself gingerly before getting up and walking backwards down the corridor, winking at Remus.

'You know you want to…' he said, and Remus had just opened his mouth to reply when a blood-curding scream rang out across the castle.

* * *

The four boy's heads snapped round at the noise, and without a word they started to run in the direction of the scream, which was now a hideous wailing noise which sounded like a rabbit stuck in a bear trap. Their feet slid on the smooth floors as they rounded a corner and almost collided with Severus Snape, who was walking hurriedly in the opposite direction. James barely had time to register Snape as he was confronted with the sight of a tall Ravenclaw girl, curled up in a ball on the floor, obviously in serious pain. Blood was pouring from deep cuts, on her head, her chest, her stomach, as another girl tried desperately to stop the flow. There was blood running down the rivulets of the stone floor, which James, his stomach lurching, noticed was now soaking into his trainer. Sirius went ghostly pale, his face frozen in horror, and Peter stood stock still in surprise.

Only Remus rushed forward towards the girl, leaning over to carefully examine her wounds. His tattered robes dragged through a puddle of blood, but he didn't seem to notice as he pulled out his wand and started muttering furiously, drawing his wand along the girl's wounds as they slowly knitted back together. But the wounds started to open again as he worked, his spells obviously not powerful enough to heal her.

'James!' He shouted over his shoulder, barely making himself heard over the whimpers of the girl on the floor. James shook his head once and broke out of his reverie, the shock obviously wearing off. He ran over and began casting the same spell as Remus, the two boys zombie-like as they worked to carefully knit together the skin of the wounds before they opened again. James looked into the girl's eyes and realised with a jolt that he knew her; she was the Ravenclaw prefect he had knocked over earlier. Her coffee-coloured skin was barely recognisable under the plethora of cuts.

'Good Lord!' Came a panicked voice, and James turned to see Sirius leading Professor McGonogall to the injured girl. McGonogall ploughed past Peter as he snivelled behind a statue and leant over beside Remus and James. Her hands shook slightly as she examined the girl, who was weak with blood loss but still breathing

'She will live', McGonogall said gently, surveying the boys over her half-moon glasses, 'Thank goodness you were here'.

The scream had obviously echoed across the castle, and everyone backed away as Madame Pomfrey appeared, conjuring up a stretcher onto which she put the injured girl. Madame Pomfrey looked in horror at the deep cuts. She was used to cuts and the odd broken bone, but these wounds were an obvious sign of dark magic. She followed the stretcher as it hovered along the corridor, the girl's shell-shocked holding the limp hand spilling off the side. The boys were left in the hall, their only reminder of the incident the faint wailing of the nearby paintings and the puddles of scarlet blood on the flagstones.

The sound of footsteps rang out.

'Minerva.' Dumbledore said calmly as he walked up to the boys, his auburn beard falling softly on purple robes spangled with stars. 'What happened here?'

McGonogall seemed reluctant to answer. 'Bethany Fawcett has been attacked. Dark magic, Albus. A spell I'd never seen.' Dumbledore turned to the boys.

'And you saw it?' He said it kindly, but there was a spark of fear in his blue eyes.

'No sir', said James, ruffling his hair and looking resolutely at the ground. 'We came after we heard the scream'. Dumbledore nodded as if this was the answer he'd been expecting.

'Keep the students in their dormitories', he said gently to McGonogall. 'I have been expecting something of this sort for a while, Minerva'.

'Not..?' McGonogall trailed off, a look of terror on her face.

'Perhaps.' Dumbledore nodded. He bent down gently and began extracting the blood from the stone floor with his wand, conjuring a small crystal vial in which to store it.

With a pang, James' mind flew back to the image of Severus Snape, walking away from the screaming girl.

'I saw Snape', he blurted out, and Remus looked at him sharply. Dumbledore looked up and fixed James with an impenetrable gaze.

'I see.' He said curtly. He stood up and put a stopper in the vial, which now glistened scarlet in the candlelight. 'I had better go and visit Miss Fawcett. I trust you will go back to your dormitories and sleep, you've all been through rather an ordeal tonight.' He strode purposefully towards the hospital wing, followed by a nervous McGonogall.

Remus gave James a warning look as the boy's anger at Dumbledore's indifference bubbled dangerously to the surface. He knew better than to argue with Dumbledore, but the fact that his evidence had seemingly fallen on deaf ears frustrated him. Even worse, the thought of dark wizards roaming round the Hogwarts castle made his blood boil.

'Leave it, James' said Sirius softly, 'Snivellus isn't worth it.'

Without looking at them, James walked sulkily towards the great hall. Peter started to follow him but Sirius put a comforting hand on his shoulder.

'Don't worry Wormtail, he just needs to blow off some steam is all.' Peter nodded as Sirius watched his friend leave into the dark night. He knew how James must be feeling and didn't want to push it, but he also didn't want to leave him alone to do something stupid. Resolving to leave him for five minutes before following, Sirius, along with Remus and Peter, went quietly to the Gryffindor common room.

* * *

James transformed before he'd even reached the steps. The sharp, crisp night was met not by a scared young boy but by a stag, majestic and graceful, his antlers cutting through the soft moonlight in an arc as he leapt from the stone stairs. James ran, propelled by his now nimble legs, dainty hooves leaving shallow tracks in the dew-moistened earth. Hogwarts at night was colossal, even more enormous now in the knowledge that its walls had been breached. Somehow, someone had besmirched James' home. And they were going to pay.

To anyone watching, the sight would have seemed laughable. A stag, running in frenzied circles, dappled by the moonlight. The animal looked demented, like a trapped fly in a jar with no-where to go. Anyone who saw would have noticed something vaguely humanoid in its distress. But no-one saw. James was completely alone amongst the dark shape of trees, and the steep slope leading down to the Quidditch pitch. The grounds were eerily quiet, silence broken only by the sound of the lake's water lapping gently on the shore. The distant stars only magnified the stillness.

Suddenly, James was aware that he wasn't alone. He heard a sharp intake of breath as a small voice from the castle steps exclaimed in wonder. The stag stopped dead in his tracks, soft ears pricked up as his animal senses heightened. His head turned slowly as his gaze shifted to the source of the noise. A mystified Lily Evans was stood by the steps. Looking oddly small in the frame of the enormous wooden door behind her, the girl's arms were crossed over a large book, and her bright red hair, tinted with gold where the light shone on it, flew lazily in the breeze. She looked on in wide-eyed wonder at the large stag not two hundred yards in front of her.

The animal looked back.

James, entranced by the ghostly figure on the steps, trotted closer, antlers bowed so as not to alarm her. She stood stock still as he got closer and closer until, finally, he was close enough to touch. Any sense of logic in James' brain had evaporated. All he wanted was to be close to this girl, close enough that her quick breaths would fill the air in front of him, that he could smell her flowery perfume as he breathed in the cold night.

'It's okay', Lily whispered, moving the book into her left hand as she slowly extended her arm. 'I won't hurt you'. The brown depths of the animal's eyes drew her closer and closer, inexplicably quickening her heartbeat. The stag really was beautiful; his fur gently turning from chestnut to tawny, framing those enormous brown eyes and leading up to the strong antlers which she was sure could spear animals ten times his size. Strangely, she felt calm in the presence of this beast. She knew he wouldn't hurt her.

As her soft fingers gently brushed the tip of James' muzzle, he buried his nose into her hand. With just one step forward he was even closer, licking the skin of her cheek affectionately. She laughed out loud, the sound out of place in the crystalline night, as she brushed off the spit with a sweep of her hand.

'That's disgusting!' she said laughingly as she carried on stroking the Stag's soft fur. 'you need to learn some manners!'. She could have sworn the stag smiled.

The moment was interrupted suddenly by the appearance of Sirius at the door. Giving James a swift look over Lily's shoulder, he sauntered down the steps towards them.

'Shouldn't you be in bed, Evans?' he called casually as Lily looked over at him.

'Shouldn't you?' she retorted sarcastically. She turned back to the enormous stag, who was still gently nuzzling her palm. 'Have you ever seen a stag be so tame?' she asked Sirius quietly, eyes wide. 'He just came up like he knew me'.

Sirius glowered at James. 'How odd.' He said shortly.

'What's made you such a grumpy pants?' Lily asked accusingly. The rest of the school had yet to hear about the incident of dark magic in the hallway, and Sirius didn't have the heart to tell her. She looked at him as he stood, feigning indifference as he leaned lazily against the stone wall.

'Nothing. I see this stag quite a lot', he said, eyes dead on James. 'More of an _inside_ stag really. Wouldn't want him to get _caught._ ' Lily looked slightly confused by the odd response, but took it in her stride as she withdrew her hand and watched as the stag backed away warily.

'He obviously doesn't like you either', she laughed as James turned tail and galloped down the hill and into the forest. Sirius watched him go with a look of mingled amusement and concern.

'Come on,' he said, putting an arm around Lily, 'we'd better go back before someone notices we're gone.' Lily turned reluctantly and started up the steps, still thinking about the stag.

James, meanwhile, had transformed back to his normal self as soon as he reached the forest. He sat, shivering and naked on the wet floor, the events of the day rushing through his head. His heart pounded as he remembered the feeling of Lily's soft hand on his nose. The image of her green almond eyes looking deeply into his swam at the forefront of his vision. Frustrated, he rubbed his eyes roughly and fell back so that his head rested on the roots of a large tree. He squeezed his eyes shut to dismiss the muddled memories of the Ravenclaw girl, bleeding out on the flagstones, and of Lily, eyes staring into his very soul.

What a crazy start to the year.


	5. Chapter 4 Quidditch

'This prank wall is looking pitifully empty, Prongs.'

It had been a week since Bethany Fawcett had been attacked, and although she'd left the hospital wing a few days ago, rumours were still flying round the castle as to what exactly had happened. James was still adamant that Severus Snape had something to do with it.

As Sirius despairingly surveyed the long wall between his and James' bed, James felt the sudden urge to do… something. Something fun.

'I'm pretty sure I can help you with that one Padfoot', he said, getting up to stand next to his friend. The wall in front of them was not, in fact, empty- rather it was lovingly plastered with an array of notes, photos and drawings. On one side was a large tally chart labelled 'Pun competition', which Sirius seemed to be winning by a large margin. There were technical drawings of the Hogwarts grounds from their map-making days dispersed between pictures of the four friends waving happily next to the lake. James' favourite was the picture of himself and Sirius enchanting a bucket of ice water to fall on Remus' head, the moment being replayed again and again as the Remus in the picture looked on, resigned to his fate. There was also an enlarged portrait photo of Lily Evans which Peter had found to annoy James. James kicked up a fuss at the time, but he secretly liked having her scowling face looking down at him as he fell asleep.

'James you have a quidditch match', Remus reminded him from the doorway. 'First match of the season.' James fell back dramatically onto his bed, groaning loudly.

'What's wrong with him?' asked Peter. The slightly rotund boy appeared at the door clad from head to toe in Gryffindor colours, with red and gold facepaint smeared across his face like war paint. The look was completed by a hat in the shape of a lion and a small Gryffindor flag, which roared authentically.

'Wormtail what the hell are you wearing?' said Sirius, bursting into laughter at Peter's attire. 'Did Quality Quidditch Supplies throw up on you?' Peter furrowed his brow as he looked down at his red trousers.

'Is it too much?' he asked, looking at James for support. James sat up in his bed and smiled at Peter.

'It suits you' he said kindly, ruffling his hair as he heaved himself out of bed and started to pull on his Quidditch robes.

As they made their way to the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall, Remus picked up a discarded Daily Prophet and began reading it intently. The others stood nearby, waiting for him to finish.

'This is bad,' murmered Remus as he turned a page.

'What's bad?' said James flippantly. He had pulled out a golden snitch from his robes and was playing with it lazily, letting it go and then catching it as a cat would to a mouse.

'Something bad's going on,' said Remus, barely looking up to his friends as he skimmed the news story. 'Looks like there's a dark wizard on the loose.'

'Dumbledore'll take care of it', said Sirius as he sat down and started stuffing his face with bacon. 'He got Grindelwald right good and proper. Plus the ministry of magic have a department of aurors for that _exact_ reason.'

'It looks like this one has followers of his own though,' Remus said, folding the paper and pouring a glass of pumpkin juice. 'They reckon he has spies everywhere. Even in Hogwarts.' He jumped as James viciously attacked his eggs, making a clanging noise on the plate.

'Bet you anything Snivelly's in on it', he said angrily, shovelling scrambled egg into his mouth as if his life depended on it.

'I suppose it's plausible', pondered Peter, glancing up to see Lily and her friend Alice plonk themselves down in the seats next to him.

'What's plausible?' Lily asked smilingly, nicking a piece of Sirius' bacon.

'Nothing', chorused the boys, each one looking just as guilty as the next. Lily shrugged, she was used to the group's secretive missions by now.

'As long as you don't ruin today's match' she said as she looked at James. 'I've got ten sickles on Gryffindor; I feel like this is going to be our year!' Sirius caught a glimpse of James, staring stupidly at Lily as he tried to rest his head on his hand and failed completely, his nose almost dipping into his eggs.

'Yeah I wouldn't get your hopes up' Sirius smiled, nudging James gently with his elbow.

'Crap!' said James suddenly, looking at his watch. 'I was supposed to be warming up ten minutes ago!' Without a backwards glance at his friends he sped off to the pitch. He obviously hadn't washed his robes since last year's Quidditch season and he left a trail of mud from his seat to the door. Sirius caught Lily's eye and shrugged as if to say 'don't ask me'.

* * *

As Quidditch captain, James' responsibilities included getting to the pitch early enough to check out the weather conditions, and putting the dirty robes scattered across the changing rooms into the wash. Having failed utterly at the first hurdle, James took meticulous care in folding and packing the smelly robes in the hope that no-one would notice how late he was.

'What the hell are you doing?!' screamed the team's seeker as she poked her head into the changing rooms. 'The rest of the team are already out here!' James cursed and ran out onto the grass, chucking the dirty robes back onto the floor. A beat passed before he raced back in, grabbed his broomstick and left again, his hair already a scruffy mess.

James walked onto the pitch to a tumultuous wall of sound. The stands were already packed, half clad in red and gold and the others a sea of green and silver. James' stomach flipped uncomfortably.

'Captains, shake hands,' said Madame Hooch briskly as the towering Slytherin captain bared his teeth at James. 'Mount your brooms. On my count… Three… two… one…'

James barely heard the whistle as he kicked off the ground and looked around blindly for the quaffle. The whiny voice of seventh-year Bertha Jorkins sounded over the tannoy.

'And here we go, welcome everyone to the first official match of the season, although rumour has it that the Slytherins have been playing rather hard _off_ the pitch as well, in fact I hear it on good authority that Regulus Black duelled with Fred Mulciber only yesterday over the heart of young Jessica Proudfoot…'

James zoned out from the meaningless drivel and threw himself into the game. The Slytherin chasers were strong but slow, and James managed to score three goals before the game even reached the half-hour mark. Buzzing, he flew dangerously low over the Gryffindor crowd, high-fiving and fist-bumping delighted spectators.

'Well it looks like James Potter is enjoying himself, shame he won't be able to prove to Lily Evans that he isn't the arrogant prat she thinks he is…' Came Bertha's snide voice.

'Oi piss off!' James yelled to the commentator's podium, but it was barely audible over the laughing and jeers of the Slytherin stand. James whipped round furiously on his broom and grabbed the quaffle from a puny Slytherin, slamming it towards the goals with such ferocity that the keeper almost fell through the golden hoop.

'Well I suppose that makes it forty- nil to Gryffindor,' yawned Bertha. 'Looks set to be a pretty standard match, folks. Better start- Oh My God!'

A great gasp rippled through the crowds, and James turned to see Gryffindor's seeker fall like a rag doll to the green pitch below.

She hit the ground with a hideous smack.

'Gryffindor's seeker is down, apparently cursed by Slytherin seeker Regulus Black… I'm pretty sure cursing isn't allowed during the game is it professor?'

The Gryffindor crowd booed loudly, all eyes on the pale boy sat stock-still on his broom above them. James, filled with rage, climbed higher and higher in an attempt to get closer, and as he pulled out his wand to curse the young Slytherin he couldn't help seeing the similarities to Sirius in Regulus' features, even when those features were contorted with fear and pain…

'Expelliarmus!'

Madame Hooch, golden eyes gleaming dangerously, flew between the two boys as their wands dropped to the pitch below.

'Dismount your brooms!' she barked.

James and Regulus descended slowly. The rest of the players were already on the ground, looking stony-faced at the fallen seeker. Both her legs were laid out in an unnatural angle, broken from the sheer force of the fall. Tears streaked her dust-covered face as she was carried away to the hospital wing.

Seeing his team-mate on a stretcher only strengthened James' rage. He made a wild lunge towards Regulus, resorting to brute force due to his lack of wand.

Regulus didn't even flinch. He stood behind two beefy Slytherin players, looking oddly shrunken in his oversized robes. His silver eyes were unbearably sad, and the pale skin which used to be pearlescent in its whiteness now looked sallow and grey. James stopped fighting the teammates holding him back as he saw Sirius run onto the pitch.

'Reg?' Wide eyed, Sirius came to stand in front of his brother, ignoring the Slytherins blocking his path.

'Reg what happened?' His eyes were wild, searching frantically across Regulus' face as the younger boy looked tearfully at the ground. Sirius could only stand stock still on the grass, eyes and hair wild as he waited for an explanation. 'It was an accident', 'it wasn't me'- anything, anything that would explain how his brother, the boy whose boggart had for years been his own parents, could have cursed a friend in cold blood.

Regulus sighed as if every breath was painful, and as he looked up his expression shifted. His jaw clenched. His terrified features rearranged themselves into a mocking sneer, and the softness in his eyes changed to a resolutely concrete stare.

'The mudblood touched me' he said flatly.

There was a sharp intake of breath as the gathered crowd recoiled at his words. A look of intense pain mangled Sirius' face.

'No Reg, you don't know what you're-'

'Leave me alone, fucking blood-traitor.' Regulus turned and stalked off the pitch, followed by his Slytherin cronies.

All the blood drained from Sirius' face. Without even a glance at James he turned tail and ran in the opposite direction in a desperate attempt to hide his pain from the gawking quidditch crowds. Madame Hooch, now back on the ground with the boys' wands clutched in her talon-like hands, looked helplessly from brother to brother, oblivious.

James snatched his wand and had hardly run ten yards after Sirius when he heard a muffled screech from under the stands.

'Severus I know it was you!.. Get off me!'

James looked in the direction of Sirius, who had run straight into Remus and Peter, who were both giving him a hug. Torn between helping his friend and saving the person under the stands he stood gormlessly for a second. Deciding that Sirius was alright, James darted under the Quidditch stand towards the sound of frantic voices.

* * *

In the half-light of the wooden frame he saw Lily Evans, desperately trying to pull her arm from Severus Snape's long-fingered grip.

'James!' Lily said shortly as she caught sight of his face. She stopped struggling and plastered on a fake smile.

'Oh yeah trust Potter to stick his massive nose in', sneered Snape. His dark robes draped awkwardly over his gawky frame as he stood, wand drawn, his hand still clutching Lily.

'Don't think you're one to talk about massive noses, Snivellus', replied James nastily. His anger was boiling back up to the surface like bubbling polyjuice potion. Anger at the lingering image of the injured prefect whom he was still sure Snape had cursed, anger at the ruckus outside; the broken seeker and his broken best friend, both ruined by the dark magic Snape's little friends performed. He wanted to hurt Snape, to make him pay for what he had done.

He raised his wand, but Lily quickly moved in between the two boys, putting a hand up on either side to block their attacks.

'Don't make me curse you, Evans' said James through gritted teeth, his face contorted in anger.

'I'd like to see you try' she replied nonchalantly. James carefully lowered his wand, and to his relief so did Severus. Lily didn't budge.

'You said you knew it was him. What has he done?' James asked Lily directly and her face flushed slightly.

'No James… I was wrong, it doesn't matter.' James fixed his eyes steadily on Snape, who stared back with an equally intense expression. Lily looked at both of them carefully.

With a long sigh, the anger that had driven James suddenly abated. Eyes now locked with Lily's, he lowered his wand and turned back the way he'd come, a twitching muscle in his jaw the only remnant of their terse exchange. He stormed off to the castle and Severus soon followed, each boy lost in their own thoughts.


End file.
